"We're going along as we can," said Nancy Ryan, chairman of the Public Sites and Utilities Commission. "Any municipal project takes a while because there is a process to follow to satisfy the Town Charter and to ensure the public is kept informed and part of the process."

Officials have determined the 33-officer department's current building cannot be expanded. It is 8,000 square feet, but the new one will be three times bigger, about 24,000 square feet.

The request for proposals will be reviewed by town engineers before a firm is selected.

This site, adjacent to the school complex, was selected informally years ago, but still needs local approvals as part of the process, he said.

"I'm sure it's the right place in terms of the needs of the community and for school safety and security," he said.

Originally, he said he thought the location would help hold down vandalism at the schools.

"Newtown changed the whole landscape, and it's a terrific location now," Knickerbocker said, referring to safety concerns following the 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, in which 20 students and six educators died.

He said the upgrade of the space study will project the needs of the town for 20 years.

The original estimate was about $10 million to build a new station, but Knickerbocker said that was during the height of a building boom, so it could be less expensive now.

The next steps will be to contract for some drawings and project estimates that could be presented to the voters at a public hearing and then go to a referendum for them to approve the money to build it.

Knickerbocker said when the project is considered shovel ready, the town will have the opportunity to seek federal or state grants to offset the costs.